Aaaaand back to Sunkit again.
The sun had almost sunk below the horizon before Foxstar and Sunkit were almost back to MoonClan camp. It was about twilight, and Sunkit collapsed onto his side, and then got back up, shakily though.
"Let's keep going," Sunkit wheezed, but Foxstar shook his head.
"Are you sure that you're okay to keep moving?" Foxstar asked with some concern, "This is our fifth rest so far." Sunkit felt his legs shaking under his own weight as he looked back up at Foxstar. Sunkit blinked.
"No, I can't take another step." Sunkit admitted. "Do we have to sleep out here tonight?"
"Not at all!" meowed Foxstar, "You are still small enough for me to carry you. Is that alright with you?" Sunkit nodded. Foxstar bent over and lifted Sunkit up by the scruff.
Foxstar ran faster than the wind, it seemed. His strides were swift and smooth. Silky air rushed over Sunkit's paws like a lazy river. He had only felt this sensation a couple times before this.
Frostbreeze used to carry me back home when I got tired... Sunkit recalled, Blossomkit would insist on walking...
The MoonClan kit purred almost inaudibly at the distant memory.
What a great sister.
More memories washed over him, each one more comforting than the last.
When the last one flickered through his mind, he drifted off in the realm of sleep.
"Sunkit! Sunkit, come play with us!"
The golden tom spun around, alarmed by the unexpected voice. A red and white she-cat bounced playfully around him.
"Waterkit? Am I home already?"
Her blue eyes flickered mischievously.
"Maybe, maybe not." she grinned.
"Oh come on, Waterkit!" a familiar meow chuckled "Quit fooling around!"
A black and white she-kit with long fur exploded out of thin air, did a couple front-flips, and pranced happily over to the tom.
"Heya, Moony!" she purred.
"Hello, Drizzlekit." Sunkit greeted with equal warmth.
"Hey, don't forget about me!" chirped a voice Sunkit could recall from his earliest memories.
A grey she-kit sprinted over to Waterkit, playfully tackling her to the ground. After wrestling with his MoonClan sister for a short while, she walked away from the fray and over to the tom. Her green eyes gleamed brighter than stars.
"Is that...?"
"In the flesh, Shadey!" she grinned.
Sunkit couldn't believe his eyes. After seeing this, he realized that he'd never been happier in his entire life.
He never imagined that he'd be able to see these three cats in the same place.
Ever.
"Sunkit! Sunkit, wake up!" a shrill shout jolted him from sleep.
Waterkit's frantic voice awoke the golden tom from his dream. As much as he was thankful to see her, he never wanted to wake up.
And to think, I thought that everything was perfect again...
Sunkit put on a brave face and did the best job he could to not reveal his sadness.
"What'd you want?" he yawned sleepily.
"Well, I was just thinking..." she mewed, "You see, I wanted to see if..."
Waterkit's chatter calmed the tom. Even if she never quieted until earlier dawn, it was great to be home again.
{*}{*}{*}
The time over the next two flew by faster than a dried leaf on a thunderpath. The morning was bright- it was one of MoonClan's rare days of not having a single cloud in the blue sky. As usual, Waterkit was more than joyous. Her attitude today, however, was contagious.
"It's been six moons! It's been six moons!" she reminded him for the fifth time. "Foxstar's going to call a Clan meeting—we're going to be apprentices!"
"I know, Waterkit, I know." Sunkit grinned, "Please, calm down for five seconds! You're going to mess up your fur!"
"So what?" she huffed, "It's not like the world will end of my fur's a bit spiky."
"Yeah, but you'll be the only MoonClan warrior in history who'll look like a squirrel having a bad day when she became an apprentice. You're warrior name might as well be 'Tuftfur'!"
Waterkit gasped in horror. "You don't really think...?"
"No, but you'd better clean up fast!" Sunkit meowed, "Its almost time for the ceremony!"
The she-kit squeaked. And began to smooth out her chest fur.
"Sunkit, you'd better help me, or else!"
"Got it!" said Sunkit as he leapt into action, smoothing out Waterkit's scruffy pelt.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" she cried in a panic between licks.
After Sunkit had finished up her left side, he heard Foxstar's voice echo loudly from the Moss Cave from underneath the camp boulder.
"Will all cats old enough to break rocks and stones join me in the Moss Cave for a Clan meeting!"
"Come on, let's go!" she yelped, running full speed ahead to the cave's burrow entrance.
"But- your fur-"
Waterkit halted abruptly.
"What about it?"
"It looks... lopsided."
"Oh, for goodness sake, Sunkit. No one's going to care what I look like."
"No, I mean, really lopsided-"
"Waterkit! Sunkit!" roared Foxstar's voice, "Where are you?"
"Gah! We're late-" Sunkit shouted before bounding off once again.
"For our own ceremony!" Waterkit sounded like she about to wail with embarrassment.
Sunkit could hear the annoyed murmurs of his fellow warriors now. he was only a few tail-lengths away!
Foxstar repeated himself once more, voice dripping with irritation.
"Will all cats old enough to break rocks and stones join me in the Moss Cave for a Clan meeting!"
"We're here! We're here!" panted Waterkit, stumbling inside behind Sunkit.
"Sorry, everyone!" Sunkit whimpered.
"That's quite alright, but please don't do it again." Foxstar called from the top of tall boulder sticking out of the shimmering wall of the cave and looked down with kindness in his eyes as the rest of the Clan gathered below, including Sunkit and Waterkit.
"It has been two moons since I rescued Sunkit from FlameClan—" he began, only to hear yowls of, "Adder-breaths!" and "Poison-blooded killing machines!" But one stern glance from Foxstar made the cats look away fleetingly.
"As I was saying, upon the return of his arrival, all of our catmint storage has gone."
The Clan started muttering among themselves, and shooting annoyed looks at Sunkit, who blinked in surprise.
Does he want to humiliate me?
"Though, I'm happy to announce that because of the efforts of Shellclaw and Raindapple, we've regained the supply twofold!"
Yowls of thanks echoed off of the glinting green moss walls. Thanks to the moss, the echos were somewhat absorbed and weren't so loud that one would flinch. That was the beauty of this meeting place.
"With more good news, now that he is here with us today, I would like to grant him and my daughter Waterkit the responsibilities of being apprentices!" Foxstar yowled, his voice echoing off of the walls so the two kits could hear the statement over and over again.
Apprentices… apprentices… apprentices…
"Waterkit," the ginger tom mewed in a deep tone, and she stalked forward bravely, despite her messed up fur, trembling from head to tail-tip. The most of the clan did their very hardest to stifle their laughter. It could still be sensed by Sunkit, but he doubted that Waterkit could feel the subtle feeling due to the current pressure she was under.
"From this point forward, you shall be known as Waterpaw." Waterpaw blinked at her father with big blue eyes full of innocence and excitement.
"Your mentor shall be Volefur, for his experience in both fighting and hunting will assist you as you train under his command. Good luck to both of you."
Volefur, a brownish-black tom, stepped forward, and as Sunkit watched, he placed his head on her muzzle; Waterpaw licked his shoulder in return. It was sealed; they were mentor and apprentice.
Sunkit knew his turn was next, but oddly, he didn't feel nervous. What was there to feel nervous about? He was just becoming a higher rank in his Clan.
"Sunkit."
Sunkit sat by the foot of the rock as Foxstar's big eyes looked down at him from above.
Suddenly he seemed very, very small. He hadn't felt like this since he was a FlameClan.
The bad memory made him cringe, but he still stood tall.
"From this moment on you shall be known as Sunpaw, and your mentor shall be Pinecloud! His patience and welcoming hearts will help you grow under your apprenticeship."
A grayish-brown tom walked forward and Sunpaw tentatively licked his shoulder, feeling the rough, coarse fur under his tongue, and he automatically relaxed.
"Sunpaw! Waterpaw! Sunpaw! Waterpaw!" the clan chanted. Sunpaw smiled, liking the attention more then he would admit.
After the meeting was over, Pinecloud pulled him away. "We're going on FlameClan border patrol with Waterpaw and Volefur. Come on!" His rippling pelt shone in the sunlight, and Sunpaw bounded after him.
I'm finally an apprentice! he marveled. It took so long… but now I'm finally here!
He wondered airily if Frostbreeze and Blossomkit was watching him now…from StarClan. But as he bounded through the camp entrance, his tail waving excitedly in the air, he shook the though off and continued on his patrol.
I'll make you guys proud. he silently told his mother and sister, I promise.
Yay! Now both Sunkit and Brightkit are now Sunpaw and Brightpaw!
Please, tell Rain and I how we're doing by reviewing! (and I don't know why I rimed right there)